How Kara Laricks became NBC’s “Fashion Star”

“Project Runway,” it wasn’t — but NBC’s “Fashion Star,” the reality show hosted by Elle MacPherson, and which viewers loved to hate (or hated to admit they loved) did have its pluses. Let’s start with the big one: A graduate of San Francisco’s Academy of Art University, Kara Laricks, emerged as the winner this week after successfully completing 10 weeks worth of design challenges.

Laricks, a former school teacher, is a 2008 Master of Fine Arts Fashion Design alumna who showed her thesis collection in September 2008 during Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week in New York. AAU is the only university to show student collections at the prestigious invite-only event held twice yearly in New York.

From the beginning, “Fashion Star” was criticized for its commercialness. The rules of the show required competitors to design a specific type of garment each week for two panels — a set of celebrity judges (Jessica Simpson, Nicole Richie and John Varvatos) who gave feedback in verbal form, and a set of department store judges (from H&M,Saks Fifth Avenue and Macy’s) who gave their feedback in monetary form — by bidding (or not) on the designers’ collections, typically by placing orders worth $50,000 or more.

In each weekly episode, the designers whose clothing receiving the highest bids (multiple designers could “win” each week) saw their wares stocked in stores the next day for purchase by the public.

Designers whose clothing received no bids were not automatically deemed losers, but one from their group was eliminated each week.

The overall winner of the competition had to display the ability to design for the mass market, the fast fashion market and the luxury market by having their designs purchased by all three stores. The grand prize: $6 million worth of orders for capsule collections at Saks, Macy’s and H&M. Laricks did that, and her apparel is now available at all three stores, or online here.

"Fashion Star" clothing at H&M

Kara Laricks' capsule collection for H&M features brightly colored dresses. She also designed for Saks and Macys. (Neilson Barnard/Getty Images)

Whether you viewed it as crass product placement or instant shopping gratification, the “hook” of the show is what set it apart from other design shows on TV. What made the show similar to “Runway” and other reality series’ was the occasional sniping by various designers about one another. What’s reality TV without catfights for drama?

Laricks from the first episode had a distinctive style, but almost didn’t make it to the second episode. Her first look wasn’t even clothing — it was an accessory, a necktie. All six judges chastised her for assuming she would even have a second chance to show more of her repertoire.

Laricks previously worked as a fourth-grade teacher and sported a blond bob hairdo. She left her job to become a fashion designer and also come out openly as a lesbian, a fact noted by Glaad.org. On the show, she frequently appeared to be overwhelmed by emotion — often wiping away tears whether judges criticized her efforts or praised them. She never wavered, however, in her unique pompadour-meets-shorn scalp hairdo or her modern, slightly androgynous design aesthetic.

Laricks was one of three contestants with Bay Area ties — Ronnie Escalante, another AAU grad, made it to the finals, while Palo Alto native Lisa Vian Hunter was eliminated earlier in the season. As is typical with talent contests, it was amusing, if not frustrating, to see the designers often fail to heed the advice of the celebrity judges — in selecting fabrics that were too heavy for summer frocks or continuing to design dated, 1980s looks — and then be kicked off the show when their clothing did not pass muster with the department store buyers for those very reasons. Laricks was one of the few who took the advice to heart and stretched beyond her comfort zone week after week, to great acclaim from the judges.

Academy of Art University Fashion School Director Simon Ungless said he was not surprised that Laricks won.

“Kara is a true designer — she knows fabric, color and silhouette,” he said. “She can also drape and cut as well as construct anything she designs. She always had a clear vision and strong point of view on what’s modern and what women want. She also gives good TV.”